19 Jun 2016

The Rialto Market - Venice

The white Palazzo Grimani di San Luca seen behind Bond

After Bond has decided to leave Mi6 and sail around the world with Vesper, they ultimately end up in Venice, the city of lovers. Before sailing into Venice, Bond sends an email to M and gives her his resignation with immediate effect. As Bond and Vesper are sailing down the Grand Canal they pass a famous location in Venice, namely the Rialto Market.

Bond and Vesper sail past the Rialto Market

It is at the Rialto Market where Vesper spots the mysterious Mr Gettler for the first time as he is strolling around the market. The market place is located in the northern part of Venice in the San Polo district.

Right by the Rialto market you can find one of the traghetto stations. The traghetto is a cheap "bus gondola" that runs between fixed stations on either side of the Grand Canal and takes people to the other side for only €2. However, this is not a "real gondola", for that you will have to pay around €80 for a 30 minute ride.

The traghetto gondola station at the Rialto market from the film

The Rialto fish market, Campo della Pescheria, has been selling seafood for over 600 years. The area is still a busy retail quarter, with the daily Erberia greengrocer market, and the fish market.

Filmed through the mooring poles at the Rialto Market

In order to get some even more SONY products in the film, in addition to all computers, Bond's and Vesper's phones, the TV's, DVD's etc, Vesper takes pictures of the Rialto market with her SONY camera. At the same time she spots Mr Gettler at the market, realising that Mr White's people have found her and that she is ultimately going to her death.

Vesper spots Mr Gettler at the Rialto Market - However, filmed further down the canal at Sant'Angelo

There are a few factual errors in the Venice scenes, since Bond and Vesper are filmed in fron of houses that are not located opposite the Rialto Market. Bond is seen sailing pass the Palazzo Grimani di San Luca which is located further down the Grand Canal from the Rialto, and as Vesper supposedly is taking pictures of the Rialto Market and spots Gettler, the Vaporetto station "Sant'Angelo" can be spotted in the background. This Vaporetto station (which is the Venice bus stops) is also located further down the Grand Canal and is thus not located opposite the market place.

There are some beautiful panoramic shot of Venice as Bond and Vesper arrive from the south. The small island seen to the left of Bond's sailing yacht in the picture below is San Giorgio Maggiore and in the background, the bell tower on St Marc's Square is visible.

The Bond inspiration

Researching, visiting and writing about the classic and exotic film locations that has been frequented by the most British of all heroes for over 50 years. As a huge 007 fan, devoted to the good life and good drinks the trips are not as much about visiting as they are about living. Always eager to stay in more luxury hotels and order drinks in new bars I am (slowly) working my way around the world together with my old comrade in arms.

Visiting the Bond locations even takes you to some of the most beautiful places in the world. I have realized that visiting the locations even makes you enjoy the films much more.

Thankfully my friend is equally amused as me, in making the location trips and hopefully we will never run out of new sights.

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